[needforspeed88]

Great photos. enjoy the ride. they have utilized the interior space very well.

[condor]

druva : BTW, one more question - the underbody rear tires.. dont they get too dirty.

Yes - that's a given when the tyre's in that position. One would need to get it cleaned regularly. (Often, the spare tyre of a bus is behind the rear left wheel & in a horizontal position. You should see the dirt that cakes on this spare tyre. Yuck.)

Would have been wonderful if they had managed a CR-V style placement, which is like that of a car - inside, below the 3rd row (under the floor-board).

[shuvd]

Congratulations man! The first Grande on TeamBHP! The Grade looks sooo much better in metal than in pictures.

While the spare will collect a lot of muck, the tailgate won't have rattling issues any time soon. Here in Calcutta, most A.S.S advice not to place the spare on the tail gate..

[lijodavis]

Originally Posted by adc

The mirror adjust button does seem to be at an awkward position. In Safari it is on the door panel cluster and is in a very convinient to operate.
Looking forward to the ride report, particularly if you feel that your comfort is being limited by the leaf springs.

Mirror button has no problem in operating.About comfort,it won't have the comfort levels of safari maybe.there is a swinging action.But not a big problem in highways but where there is uneven roads and speed breakers,third row is a problem in high speeds(above 60km/hr)

Originally Posted by jkdas

Dealer will charge you more for alloys. Its Aura that comes as OE. Think 16inch 6.5J

I will keep this in mind when i am searching for alloys.

Originally Posted by cediafan

Do tell us how the suspension is holding up. When I took the TD, I felt that the leaf springs at the rear were not up to the mark.

I too have a feel like that.But give me some more time.

Originally Posted by Steeroid

.. provide more insight into 3rd row comfort - while there was enough legroom for 3rd row passengers, it did seem like the knee position was slightly higher than the seat - just like the 2nd row on the Pajero.

I wish it had more cubbyholes, though. I couldnt put that bottle of mineral water into the door pockets when I did the test drive.

knee position was a little bit higher may be around five six inches compared to second row.I am 6'2" i can sit in rear seat but i don't know how long i will be comfortable.

Originally Posted by BaCkSeAtDrIVeR

what do YOU think of the interiors of the swift, skoda and the grande? Also, how is braking? Gear shift? A/c?

How does the audio sound? How many speakers, what kind/make/size and their location?

There is no point in comparing interiors with skoda.swift will be a little bit better.My mom and dad likes to travel in this one(first two rows) than swift and skoda,because of the seating position and leg space also the height.Braking is good but need ABS ,since other two cars have ABS i can feel the diff when braking.May be it will be ok when i used to it.Gear shift is tight especially to put first gear.tata guys said it will be smooth after service.A/c is really has very good cooling.Rear a/c need to put on only @ hot sun,no need in evenings and night.Front also i am keeping fan speed at position one only.Cooling is also very fast.
Audio is average only.6 speakers 4 on doorpads and two on dash,set is alpine, speakers no idea.

Originally Posted by HappyWheels

Is it that the gear handle gets too close to the ICE when in 1/3/5 gear, very much like Safari and makes it difficult for operations or is it not?

You have enough space to operate even in 1/3/5 gears.

Originally Posted by druva

If you can comment about the 3rd row - leafspring suspension - ride quality, my choice would be finalized.

If you are thinking of modding, - I was thinking about an after market spoiler. Ladder would spoil it too much.

BTW, one more question - the underbody rear tires.. dont they get too dirty. You said you drove in rain. Any comments on that?

You won't get the middle seat comfort in third row.with Bad roads it will be really tough to sit ,depends on driver too,

Spoiler i am thinking to fit, no ladder.

As of now there was no dirt on underbody tires.needs more time to say more about this.

Originally Posted by CorsaLove

Let us know how the ride is. Gear? braking, driving comfort, etc.

Changing gears is a litttle tight, Braking power is there,doubt about control(needs more time to comment on this).About driving-Steering is very smooth,better than swift and skoda.But at high speeds also its very smooth not like skoda.You will have a very light feel ,good for towns,u-turns ,parking etc.Gear ratios are very good,no need to down the gear every time you brake,good for cities.You have enough power to during highways also.i usually go under 110 not above that(i feel a little risky).

Originally Posted by susan3004

1. What is the travel of the gearlever when it is engaged in the 1st 3rd or 5th position in reference to the CD player? Can the CD be inserted and ejected comfortably in these positions?
2. Is the clutch pedal lower than the brake pedal? If so, why?

1.You can easily put CD i think.
2.No idea.

Originally Posted by kkdelhi

Does the GX have a defogger?

How much of a ride is the Grande going to get compared to your other vehicles?!! Unless, of course, you are not the only in the family who drives!

GX has a defogger at rear.
Grande will get full highway or long distance rides.

Will post drive experience soon..

[jagspabla]

Congrats Lijo on a great buy. Methinks that Tata cars are evolving fast and another couple of generations could see them equalling other mainstream players in fit and finish.
Especially so with Jag & Land Rover expertise at their disposal.

[dezmo007]

Congratulations buddy. your stable looks neat. Wish you a happy and safe driving

[gypsyFreak]

Congrats on your ride. Now you have a ride for every occasion.

Can you post some shots of rear AC ducts?

Also is there a provision for ABS - EBD and Airbags

[Rash001]

Hi
Good photos and the comparison wth Swift and Scoda gives a clear idea about the size. How is the ride quality comparing the same with the old SUMO. Has it improved in any way ? The older version was using leaf springs as well

[Veelubai]

Hi Lijo Nice car and nice color.Take good care of the beast as the orange color is prone to fading in the long run I believe.Try getting 16"X6.5JJ or 7.00J alloys.Try the steel wheels and motowing in Guruvayur road.No great variety to choose from but I think they will look better t han the Aura ones.Are you changing your tires as well?Why dont you but some nice tints as well!

[mezereo]

congrats lijo. drive safe

[srijit]

congrats lijo and very nice comparison pics, thank you. could you also comment on the fuel efficiency that you are getting now?

[arun_sharon]

Congrats on the car.missing some good alloys

[kingshan]

Congrats mate !!
It just looks like all those good old sharp edges of Sumo has been given beautiful curves and lil bit of change in the back?? cool anyway it looks good...surprisingly the color is good on this Grande..

[sudhirlp]

Originally Posted by gypsyFreak

Also is there a provision for ABS - EBD and Airbags

Not so far. Autocar India (Mar-2008) mentioned in its Test Drive Report that ABS version was not far off. Don't know if they were speculating or it was an informed report.

[lijodavis]

Originally Posted by Veelubai

Hi Lijo Nice car and nice color.Take good care of the beast as the orange color is prone to fading in the long run I believe.Try getting 16"X6.5JJ or 7.00J alloys.Try the steel wheels and motowing in Guruvayur road.No great variety to choose from but I think they will look better t han the Aura ones.Are you changing your tires as well?Why dont you but some nice tints as well!

I got alloys from steel wheels.got four for 19k.Installed sun film (Garware) for 1.3k.I am posting the photos below.

Originally Posted by srijit

congrats lijo and very nice comparison pics, thank you. could you also comment on the fuel efficiency that you are getting now?

Now i am getting 11.2 mixed.This will increase since the grande was standing stationary with a/c on for much time. i have given the vehicle for first service (1200kms). Next mileage i will post later.

Originally Posted by Rash001

Hi
Good photos and the comparison wth Swift and Scoda gives a clear idea about the size. How is the ride quality comparing the same with the old SUMO. Has it improved in any way ? The older version was using leaf springs as well

Don't know about SUMO but ride quality seems to be better than skoda and swift in the first two rows(opinion of other family members).Last row not that good because of height difference in the floor.


After putting alloys the tires came out(with stock tires) of the wheel arch atleast 1.5 inch(see in the pictures),and i have to cut inner side of mud flaps in the front.It took more than 3 hours to fix alloys and wheel alignment.Ride quality and driving has changed much.Kept air pressure 28 in the front and 30 at the back.

Fixed parking sensors 4+2 for 6500.
Mats and other accessories not available yet.